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Road Safety for Industrial Workers in urbanising Cambodia

Over 700,000 industrial workers are currently employed directly or indirectly in the garment and footwear sector in Cambodia, 80 percent of them are women and over half of them are recent migrants to urban areas particularly the capital Phnom Penh.

The garment and footwear sector is the largest industrial sub sector in the country and one of the drivers of national growth and development. All workers have to travel too and from work daily by various mode of transport, which all have associated road safety risks and concerns, resulting in a joint initiative between public/government responsible actors, the private sector, civil society groups, and United Nations to develop a focused Garment and Footwear Sector Road Safety Strategy.

Cambodian Institute for Urban Studies-CIUS member's have supported the Asian Injury and Prevention- AIP Foundation, to develop and facilitate this focused road safety strategy development process, which will contribute to national and international (Sustainable Development) goals (SDGs, 3.6 and 11.2). The strategy looks at improving (i) coordination, cooperation, and accountability, (ii) Improve road and traffic infrastructure and the planning/siting of factories and industrial zones, (iii) Improving transportation means and ending the use of overloaded cargo truck, (iv) Improved and increased awareness of road users, workers and transport providers and factory operators.